Ridiculously Easy Vegan Buttermilk Salad Dressing

The question I get asked most by people who are just beginning to follow an oil-free diet is “If you don’t use oil, what do you put on your salad?” Frankly, getting used to salads without olive oil can be difficult, though I do believe you can train your taste buds to enjoy salads without oil if you add enough flavor to them. It’s not enough just to remove the oil from any old salad dressing; you have to replace it with a liquid that will dilute the power of the vinegar in the dressing, add some body so that the dressing isn’t watery, and add flavor. Here are a few of my tips for making fat-free but tasty vegan salad dressing.

Tips for converting an oily dressing into an oil-free one:

If you don’t mind a sweeter dressing, replace the oil with orange juice or other fruit juice.

Replace the oil with aquafaba–the broth from a can or pot of chickpeas.

Try replacing the oil with vegetable broth plus one of the thickeners below.

Replace the oil with water, but double the herbs and spices and add a thickener.

Add a thickener. Some people add xanthan or guar gum, which can be tricky to use, but I prefer using ground flax seeds or chia seeds, both of which form a gel when combined with liquids. Chia seeds have the advantage of not needing to be ground first, and their lighter flavor and appearance (if you use the white chia) make them better for dressings. And both are great sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Start with a teaspoon per cup of dressing, blend well (with a blender, if you like), and allow to stand until thickened. Add more if necessary to achieve the thickness you desire.

Add dijon or coarse-ground mustard. A couple of teaspoons per cup of dressing will add zing without being overwhelming.

Add a little nutritional yeast for a richer, more savory flavor.

Blending in just a small amount of higher-fat ingredients such as nuts, olives, or avocado can give flavor and body to your dressing without a lot of fat–as long as you don’t overdo it.

Be careful with raw garlic, which can easily overpower your dressing if you use too much of it. Naturally dehydrated granulated garlic or garlic powder is a good alternative for infusing a dressing with garlic flavor with less risk of “garlic burn.”

Susan’s Lite Goddess Dressing

Fresh is best for herbs, but if you’re using dried, allow time for the leaves to rehydrate and the flavors to blend. Most fat-free dressings will taste better after chilling for a while.

Experiment with different vinegars: balsamic, red wine, and white wine are standard, but fruit-flavored vinegars such as raspberry, fig, or blood orange can add a different dimension to your usual salad dressing.

It’s surprisingly easy to make a creamy dressing low-fat. Just substitute silken tofu for mayonnaise and vegan yogurt instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own soy buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of soymilk and let stand until curdled.

If you absolutely cannot stand oil-free dressing, try reducing the amount of oil a little at a time, using some of the replacements suggested here.

There’s evidence that some fat helps your body absorb the nutrients in salad. Rather than use oil, which has been stripped of all nutrients but fat, I recommend adding nuts, seeds, or avocado to your salad.

What are your tips for making oil-free dressings? Let me know in the comments.

Here’s an easy, creamy dressing that I threw together in just a few minutes. I used a salt-free seasoning, Mr. Spice House, as a short-cut to avoid having to measure many different herbs. You can use any combination of herbs you like, adding more to taste as you go. Though the percentage of calories from fat in this recipe is what I would call higher-fat (over 15%), notice that the overall number of grams of fat is low (about 1) and a serving is 3 tablespoons, instead of the 2 tablespoons that most bottled dressings call a serving–great for those of use who like a lot of dressing on our salads!

Reader Interactions

Comments

This is a great post! I love Balsamic Vinegar and used to just use that straight on salads until I realized it was a bit too harsh. I’m not really too set on using olive oil anyway to cut the sharpness of it. Do you think that citrus would go well and still cut away some of the bitterness?

Thanks Susan! I love all of these ideas! My favorite salad dressing is to buy a fresh tomato or mango Pico de Gallo salsa (think chunky) and add that to the top of my salad, then drizzle a little seasoned rice vinegar on, with salt & pepper to taste. I almost always put fresh raw corn in my salads, and the starch mixed with the tomatoes and vinegar is so lovely! This was my standard lunch all summer!http://passthepotatoesblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/red-leaf-lettuce-with-roasted-corn-pico.html

Putting this recipe in my ‘make me’ pile! I really, really like buttermilk dressing, but this recipe sounds so much more healthful. Thanks for another great one Susan!! I’m all about the oil based dressingings, so this woul be a nice change.

I’m a total cheat when it comes to dressings – I use the Walden Farms brand products religiously. Love them! However, Susan, your Smoked Paprika dressing that went with the asparagus recipe is awesome! I’ve made it several times.

What a great post – I love some of your ideas and those of your readers!
We enjoy just freshly-squeezed lemon juice and tamari on our salads. No body, but lots of flavor… and we put so much “schtuff” on our salads (lots of herbs and various veggies, dulse leaf, black olives, hemp, chia and pumpkin seeds, and a few nuts of one variety or another – and some avocado now and then) that we’ve never missed the texture or taste of oil. Now and then I’ll use Walnut Dressing instead, but my husband always prefers the lemon juice and tamari. That will likely change when he finds out about your Smoked Paprika dressing though! 🙂

Great post. I will be linking to it!! I’ve been making low-fat salad dressing with chia seeds for years. For more information about chia seeds, and some recipe ideas, check out my website: http://www.chiativity.org

Very interesting dressing recipe. I’m such a salad queen, I’ll have to try it.
It might be worthwhile to note, that a little olive oil doesn’t hurt. Our bodies need healthy oil/fats to transport the nutrients from the healthy foods we eat, such as salad greens. People should fear healthy fats. They keep our joint, bones, bodies in general healthy.

I like my own fruit vinegrette.
I use any fruit.. peaches, raspberries, blueberries etc etc….. some red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar, a small shallot, dash of maple syrup and some pepper.. Vitamix it up. and its awesome! 🙂

Thanks for this great post about salad dressing options. It reminded me of your smoked paprika dressing, which, at the time I could not try, since I didn’t have anyy of that magic stuff. Now I do!

Right now I’ve been alternating between your Lite Goddess Dressing (since I still have fresh parsley and green onion tops in the garden), and a version of an Asian Dressing I found on the PCRM web site with their “Asian Persuasion” coleslow recipes. I mention it for those who like ginger. It’s mostly seasoned rice vinegar, apple juice concentrate, tamari or say sauce (to be gluten free I use tamari), grated ginger, and garlic. (I use shallot due to sensitivity to garlic.)

To your point about raw garlic being too strong, a nice substitute is a little bit of fresh shallot. It’s milder, sweeter, and goes well with any fruit and mustard, too.

Another standard Essylstyn recipe I tweaked in that direction is seasoned rice vinegar, a little dijon mustard and then I use minced shallot instead of garlic, and about a teaspoon of raspberry fruit spread or jam.

I look forward to trying this buttermilk dressing. To add a green olive seems inspired to me.

Hi Susan: As you said above, some oils are good–especially hemp oil and flax oil. These oils are high in omega-3s and 6s. Hemp has the ideal omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Flaxseed oil has the highest ratio 3s to 6s (5:1 ratio). Here’s a recipe from Brendan Brazier’s “Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide” that I like. You can play with this by adding lime or lemon juice or a dusting of cayenne pepper.
Cucumber Dill Dressing
4 cloves garlic
2 cucumbers, peeled
1/2 cup hemp oil
4 tsp dried dill/4 tbsp fresh)
black pepper & sea salt to taste
Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other high speed blender.

Hi Susan! I am excited to make more of my own dressings, and this looks like a yummy place to start 🙂 What would you substitute for the soy yogurt if you have a soy sensitivity? I think So Delicious makes a plain coconut milk yogurt, do you think that would work? Sometimes I think those yogurts taste too “coconutty” but that’s because I don’t like coconuts 🙂

I haven’t tasted a plain coconut yogurt, so I don’t know. I’m inclined to think it would be too sweet as well as coconutty. I’ve used blended white beans in dressings to thicken them up, and I think it tastes pretty good, though more gritty than with tofu. You could give it a try and see what you think.

Thanks so much for this post! Figuring out how to do salad dressings has been one of my biggest hindrances for not being more fully compliant on ETL. Right now I’m working my way through some commercial, high fat vegan dressings that are delicious, but….

I am supremely lazy, and I like a shot of sweet and tangy with my salad, so I usually just put a dollop of sweet pickle relish on it. It has the tangy “vinegar” taste so I feel like I’m not just eating lettuce, but there’s also the sweetness AND it’s very convenient. One other nice thing is that sweet relish is available at most salad bars, so you don’t have to go without just because you’re at a non-vegan eatery!

Hi Susan: Thanks for so many great tips on fat-free salad dressings. I am not a big salad eater, mainly because it’s the dressing that makes it for me! And, I won’t buy dairy or oil based dressings. 🙂 So, I like my greens cooked or blended.

I will have to try this buttermilk dressing and a salad for dinner. Maybe this will get me motivated to plan my meals around my salad.

Laina, all of those substitutes for the green olive sound good–just pick the one you like best. And I think you can use silken tofu instead of the yogurt, maybe with a little extra lemon juice added. Hope you enjoy it!

Dear Susan,
I am so glad I found your site. Tomorrow I will go to have a heart cath. I had a heart attack in 2010 at age 60. I have researched vegan for years off and on. My husband, married daughter and son in law and myself have committed to six months. Actually my husband and I will probably be on for life(hopefully a long one).
Your site is interesting, your photography is great, and I can’t hardly wait to get started on your recipes. I was glad to see you live in Mississippi and in Jackson! I have been to Terry many times over the years and have friends there. We live in Jemison, Alabama.
I just wanted to say “hi” and let you know I have enjoyed what I have seen and would love to correspond some time with you. Thank you again.

Thank you Susan. It was more serious than we expected. The front artery of my heart(in a man it is considered the “widow maker”) was 95% blocked. It shook up the doctor who wasn’t expecting it and neither was I! Anyway my husband is definitely on his band box now:). So keep the vegan coming! Also would you let me know where the page is that had your pantry and freezer inventory? Thank you……….Kindly, Diane

Thanks for this! I have to cut out my extraneous fat intake and cannot abide store-bought fat free dressings. They taste fake and are always too sweet and watery. Yuck. Plus, I absolutely ADORE The Spice House. I’ve never tried their Mr. Spice House blend, but I will now.

Some of them may be “accidentally” vegan, but looking at their web page, I see blue cheese and egg whites are used in some products. Plus, on their Special Diets page, no mention of dairy-free or vegan diets is made at all.

Unexpectedly, the local Grocery Outlet sported unsweetened soy yoghurt. Time to try out this recipe. It turned out even better than expected. I used Trader Joe’s “21 Seasoning Salute” spice mixture, almond milk, replaced the green olive with capers, and added caramelized garlic. I have not been able to find chia seeds so I left those out. The dressing turned out splendid, especially after putting it in the fridge for a while to let the flavours develop. I am pretty sure that the nonvegans in the family will be easily fooled in believing that this is a dairy/cheese based dressing :).

Hi, Listmom, I have a question. The split pea recipe with cauliflower looks great and want to try it. However my pressure cooker blew it’s stack all over the kitchen (cleaned most of the lenils up but not off the ceiling – who look at the ceiling anyway?).
You posted a lentil recipe and recently and said you never tried it in a slow cooker, so since my pressure cooker went to that great gourmet in the sky to serve, any idea how to adapt this to slow cooker? No need to publish my ramblings. We old coots do that. Just email me and have a great and amazing Christmas.
Much love and love much,
Grandpa Ron

Just made it and I have to say this is delicious!!! I used plain almond yogurt (oh how I miss Whole Soy yogurt.) I added a little tarragon because I have recently become a tarragon-addict! Thank you for the suggestion to put it on a baked potato. I am always looking for better ways to flavor potatoes.

I love to add creamy white miso . Gives texture and a wonderful savoury taste. Makes lovely hot white sauces for vegetables too. I use the brand ‘Clearspring’. Try simply mixing it with brown rice vinegar and a little mustard. Fermented so very healthy (unless you are avoiding sodium in which case forget it!)
A little goes a long way flavour wise,
X

I found coconut milk, oil, cream is like Tufu it blends into anything.
I found milk has 10% Formalyde per gallon. I know for fact because my cousins run a dairy farm. They drink raw milk, no processed milk ever.
We do not like dairy, vinegar of any kind, GMOs’ are unknowns what the processed foods. Looking for a simple recipe for ground and oil of flaxseed.
Thank you for your page and more info that helps.

Hi Susan – Brand new here and I want to thank you for posting this. I was looking for a “rule of thumb” for oil free dressings. I read through a few of your recipes and the comments here! My takeaways are adding hummus, mustard, flaxseed, nutritional yeast, water + spices, avocados, salsa/pico, relish/pickles, olives, nuts! What great tips and can’t wait to explore here. Let me know if I’m missing anything glaring 🙂